In manufacturing of microelectronics, defects in the crystalline quality of the material adversely affect its quality. With the addition of materials like germanium (Ge) and III-V materials into the manufacturing line, defects caused by the epitaxy and processing of dissimilar materials are more abundant than with silicon (Si)-only technologies. It is therefore important to test the defect density and other properties in order to control the growth and processing in the line.
However, many testing techniques require cutting, polishing, and or thinning of samples in order to retrieve this information. While some non-destructive techniques are available, they are not compatible with high throughput processing.
Therefore, accurate, high throughput wafer imaging techniques would be desirable.